Brain Damage
by liamdude5
Summary: What would happen if Riley got brain damage? What would happen if that brain damage was something far more sinister? What would happen if emotions could fall in love? This story will answer those questions. Rated PG for action, romance, and suggestive elements.
1. The Game

**Hello, and welcome to my latest new story, an Inside Out story. Few heads up before I start. This story, similar to my LEGO Movie story, is meant to follow the events of another movie. Here, the plot is very loosely based on the SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. But, the only similarities are the character of Burger Beard and similar events later on in the story. Also, I plan on publishing a comedy horror story soon, so keep an eye out for that. Now that I've introduced, enjoy chapter one.**

It was truly a fabulous Spring day in San Francisco. The sky was blue and the ice inside of the civic center was glistening.

Riley Anderson was having an awesome time playing hockey. Riley's parents were having an awesome time cheering for their daughter. And Riley's emotions were having an awesome time...emoting.

Riley's team was winning by a thread, so Riley was working hard to back up her fellow teammates and doing a good job with it. It was thanks to Anger, whom made sure Riley was aggressive while protecting her teammates, and Fear, whom made sure Riley didn't seriously hurt anybody.

"Come on guys," Joy shouted, "We can do it. There's only one minute left."

"We're going to mess up and our team is going to lose," Fear screamed.

"Then our team is going to hate us," Sadness predicted.

"Come on guys," Joy countered, "That won't happen. The game's already almost over."

However, Joy was wrong. A player for the opposing team managed to come out of nowhere and stole the puck from the player Riley was defending.

"Everything we say is wrong," Fear screams, "Unless it's right."

"Fear," Joy ordered, "Calm down. We just need to get the puck back."

"I'm on it," Anger agreed.

Riley then proceeded to go after the one who had stolen the puck. That player kept their eyes on Riley. So much so that that player didn't notice one of Riley's teammates grab the puck the same way that opposing player had done.

"Yeah," the emotions cheered.

That teammate whom grabbed the puck was able to evade the players in the opposing team and even managed to hit the puck into the goal just before the buzzer went off, ending the game with Riley's team as the winners.

Cheering was coming from everywhere. From the bleachers to the rink to inside Riley's head.

"Awesome job you guys," Joy shouts.

"You guys," Anger objected, "Who was it who controlled Riley almost the whole game?"

"Oh Anger," Joy laugh

 **I** **promise that the story will get more interesting as it goes on.**


	2. Fear x Disgust?

It was about ten minutes after the game ended. All the spectators had cleared out. Riley's parents were waiting for Riley. She was still on the rink, hanging out with her friends. Those friends were Barton, Celeste, Gabriel, and Sean.

Barton was actually one of the first students at Riley's school to actually reach out and talk to her. They started hanging out outside of school after about a month. He didn't play on the hockey team, but he saw every one of Riley's games, so Riley always snuck him onto the rink after the game.

Celeste was a teammate of Riley's. They'd become friends quickly after a few practices and games together.

Gabriel was someone who played for the male hockey team. They had started out as rivals of sort, but eventually realized that they actually had a lot in common, buried the hatchet, and became friends.

Sean was a friend and teammate of Gabriel. Riley found him tolerable, but definitely wouldn't hang out with him if he weren't already friends with Gabriel.

Meanwhile, in Riley's head, something else was going on while the emotions were manning the control panel when Disgust dragged Fear away into the break room.

"What's going on Disgust," Fear questioned, "Usually you're checking everything Riley says when she's talking to friends like this."

"I can't wait any longer," Disgust whispered, "I've got to have you now."

"You always get this way after Riley's hockey games," Fear pointed out.

"You're not usually this mouthy right before you devour me," Disgust complained as she started removing Fear's shirt, "Mind shutting up and letting me enjoy this, nerd?"

"I do mind," Fear shouted as he tore away from Disgust's grip and put his shirt on.

"What's your problem," Disgust whined.

"I can't keep this up," Fear complained, "There's something you don't know. I've always loved you."

"That is not new information," Disgust responded, "I've always known."

"You knew," Fear angrily asked.

"What's your problem," Disgust responded, "You have a crush on me, so I'm letting you rock my world."

"I can't keep going on with this loveless relationship," Fear shouted, "You have to tell me right now if you love me back. If you can't, I won't let this relationship go on."

"Where is this coming from," Disgust asked, clearly stressed.

"Do you love me," Fear angrily asked, walking back towards Disgust.

"Why do you wait until now to bring this up," Disgust angrily asked, getting in Fear's face.

"Do you love me," Fear yelled.

"No," Disgust yelled.

"That's what I thought," Fear angrily mumbled as he got out of Disgust's face and started to walk back into the control room.

"Where are you going," Disgust angrily asked.

"Back to the control room," Fear mumbled, "Feel welcome to join me." And, with that, Fear was gone.

"Fine," Disgust yelled, "Walk out. See if I need you. I can just be out for myself."

Disgust then begun to feel odd. She felt as if Fear stopping their emotionless relationship somehow affected her emotions. But, she couldn't care less about how her least favorite nerd felt. Right?

"Right," Disgust asked no one in particular.


	3. The Accident

"Why is Gabriel looking at us like we're weird," Joy asked, "Did we say something wrong?"

"I don't know," Anger grumbled, "But if he keeps looking at us like that, I'll make sure he can't look at us at all!"

"It's hard to decide since Disgust isn't around," Sadness pointed out, "She usually decides whether if what we say is alright or not."

As Sadness was talking, Fear came from behind and approached the console.

"Hey Fear," Joy greeted, "Where'd you disappear off to? And where's Disgust?"

"Ummm..." Fear started.

Then, Disgust burst into the control room.

"What did you all do wrong," Disgust yelled.

"Hi," Joy greeted, "Where'd you go just now?"

"Not important," Disgust brushed off, "Why is Gabriel half looking at us like we're insane, half looking at ?"

"We don't know," Sadness lamented.

"Well don't worry," Disgust reassured, "I'll fix this."

"And it just stayed in my head all day," Barton complained, "I mean, it was so annoying. Haven't you ever had some annoying buzzing noise just stuck in your head."

"Yeah," Gabriel complained, "I got an idea of that."

"Really," Riley came back, "You must have got it from hearing yourself talk."

"Aaaiiigghhhh," Sean yelled, "Sick burn Riley."

"That's where you're going huh," Gabriel sarcastically replied, "You're going there? Cause I'd prefer to be right here, but now you're insisting that I follow you out there."

"Great," Fear yelled, "Now look what you've done. You made him mad."

"I can fix that," Disgust angrily replied while pressing a few buttons.

"Calm down,"Riley moaned, "Just put your pants back on."

"I ain't calming down until I show you the meaning of respect," Gabriel replied.

"Sheesh," Riley moaned, "Who put a pair of pliers on your eyeballs?"

"Strange," Gabriel contemplated, "I thought hockey players were supposed to have guts. Maybe you left them back in Minnesota." Riley instantly lost her cherub like demeanor.

"Did he just say..." Disgust stammered.

"Oh that is it," Anger yelled as he stepped in front of the control panel, "Time to show this jackass Riley Anderson's wrath."

"OK," Riley shouted, standing up, "You wanna dance? Let's dance."

"Whoa," Gabriel complained, "Sit back down. I was just kidding."

"You took a bit too far on that last one," Celeste pointed out.

"Alright," Gabriel complained, "Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to offend your core or whatever."

"You have offended my entire lineage," Riley states, with an intense stare, "I demand satisfaction."

Gabriel attempted to back away, but Riley stepped towards him with her intense stare, giving him a fright.

"Alright fine," Gabriel griped, "What do you wanna do to defend your honor or whatever?"

"I'm going to do more than defend my honor," Riley proclaimed, "I'm going to steal your title."

"You mean," Gabriel gasped.

"Best backwards ice skater in the world probably," Sean gasped.

"Also the stupidest title in the world probably," Celeste remarked.

"Yup," Riley remarked, "That's the one."

"I don't know Riley," Sean warned, "You may not be ready for that."

"I don't know about this," Fear stammered, "This seems really dangerous. I've already thought of about thirty different ways Riley could get hurt by doing this."

"I suppose your right," Anger mocked, "We can just let Riley be a rig and have her friends walk all over her and say whatever they want to her for the rest of her life."

"There we go," Fear complimented, "I like the sound of that." Anger then slammed Fear against the control panel, knocking Fear to the ground.

"You wanna have some fun punk," Anger growled, "I'll show you my wild side." Anger than threw down two switches on the control panel.

"I'll get my skates," Riley growled.

A few minutes later, Riley had put on her ice skates and a blindfold, standing in front of the ice rink.

"You ready," Gabriel asked.

"Let's do this," Riley stated.

"Be careful," Barton mumbled.

Gabriel and Sean then gave her a little push onto the ice. Riley then did a slight turn to the right and waited. Sean then got out his phone and set up a timer app.

"Ready," Gabriel asked.

"Ready," Riley answered. Sean then started the timer.

"Go," Gabriel shouted. Riley then started skating backwards at a somewhat slow pace.

"OK," Fear panicked, "I think that if we stay at this pace, we will not die."

"Yeah," Anger pointed out, "We could stay at this pace if we want everyone to think we're boring. Let's do something!"

"Anger's has a point," Joy negotiated, "Maybe we could go a little faster." Riley then sped up a bit, to about a walking speed.

"30 seconds," Sean announced, "Stay up for another 2 minutes, 30 seconds and you'll break the record."

"We'll probably fall before then," Sadness lamented, "Then we'll be a laughing stock."

"We are not going to fall over," Joy encouraged.

"Yeah," Anger added, "Here. I'll prove it." Anger than pressed it a button on the control panel, making Riley decide to do a jump into the air.

"Watch out," Barton screamed.

It was to late though. Before she could even question what the problem was, Riley banged her head against the glass of the ice rink, then falling to the ground.

"Oh my gosh," Fear screamed, "What happened?"

"I think we hit the wall," Joy responded, "Let's get our blindfold off!" Joy hit a few buttons on the control panel.

"The blindfold is still on," Fear screamed, "What's going on? Did Riley even move?" Then, the depths of Riley's mind got dark.

"Riley fell asleep," Sadness pointed out.

"What is happening," Fear screamed, now in full panic mode.

"Guys," Joy concluded, "Riley's out cold."

"What have I done," Anger lamented.


	4. Meet Burger Beard

_Currently Listening to: "Red 2" by Alan Silvestri._

"If Riley's out cold," Fear screamed, "What's going to happen? She's never been knocked out before! What's gonna happen?"

"I don't know Fear," Joy worried.

"Riley's probably going to die," Sadness lamented, "Then we'll all fade out of existence."

"But she can't die now," Fear screamed, "Riley's lived such a short life."

Joy was beginning to get annoyed.

"Riley can't die," Disgust lamented, "Her body will decay and rot and get all gross."

"Fear," Anger yelled, "Stop shaking and let go of me."

"Make me," Fear yelled. Anger then punched Fear into a nearby wall.

"We're going to kill each other before Riley dies," Sadness lamented.

"Why can't Riley die in a beautiful dress," Disgust cried.

"Will everybody please be quiet," Joy yelled, showing a rare outburst of anger. The other emotions turned attention to her, shocked by this outburst.

"Now listen," Joy announced, "I don't know what will happen, maybe Riley will die, maybe she'll survive, but worrying won't do us any good. All we can do is hope for the best and help Riley in any way we can. So, let's think positive and hope that, soon, Riley will wake up and everything can go back to normal."

"Can I say something," Sadness asked.

"What is it," Joy asked, sounding genuinely curious, but hoping it wasn't about Riley dying.

"Mom and Dad are going to be upset if we don't wake up," Sadness announced, "They might even become depressed."

Joy sighed internally. She knew that this would set the emotions off.

"Oh geez," Fear lamented, "Mom and Dad. They always promised to protect us. They'll be so sad to find out they failed."

"This is all Gabriel's fault," Disgust screamed, "If he hadn't been such a big jerk..."

"No," Anger corrected, "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let Riley do something so dangerously stupid."

"Look," Joy announced, "Sitting around placing blame is not helping Riley and it's certainly not helping ourselves. All we can do right now is wait and hope."

"How can we have hope Joy," Fear asked, "When there are such disastrous circumstances?"

"Do what I do," Joy answered, "Put on a happy face for everyone's sake."

"Joy," Sadness stepped up, "Can I talk to you for a second, in private?"

"Sure," Joy answered. Sadness then practically dragged Joy into the break room.

"What the heck was that," Anger questioned.

"I don't know," Disgust responded, "Those two have been acting weird ever since they got lost in Riley's mind."

"Wait," Fear thought, "You guys don't think they're, you know, hooking up, do you?"

"What," Anger shouted, "Heck no! That'd never happen."

"Yeah," Disgust cried, "Sadness would never 'hook up' with anybody, let alone Joy."

"I don't know," Fear responded, "It's always the ones you least suspect. And what did you mean, 'let alone Joy'?"

"There's no way Sadness goes that way," Disgust answered, "Joy, I could buy being at least curious, but Sadness just seems asexual to me."

"Come on," Anger shouted, "Where's your proof of that?"

"And are we not forgetting about Sadness' curiously long glance at the Little Ceaser's cashier," Fear demanded.

"We settled that as Sadness trying to read what her shirt said," Disgust shouted, "We are not debating that again."

Meanwhile, Sadness was talking to Joy in the break room.

"What are you doing Joy," Sadness asked.

"What do you mean Sadness," Joy asked.

"Why are you ordering everybody around," Sadness asked, "You yelled at everybody for getting upset at Riley being knocked out cold."

"I was just trying to keep the others from getting flustered," Joy explained, "I don't know what's going on or what will happen, but panicking is probably the worst thing we can do right now. I was trying to stop a panic before it happened."

"That is true," Sadness stated, "It wouldn't be good for us to panic. But, why couldn't you let us be upset for only a minute?"

"Because there's nothing to be upset about," Joy reminded, "Riley is going to be alright when she wakes up."

"You're not upset at all," Sadness asked.

"Nope," Joy replied.

"You're not at all worried about what might happen to Riley and to us," Sadness objected.

"Not at all," Joy choked out, starting to get a bit upset.

"You're not at all worried about the possibility of Riley dying," Sadness pointed out, "At such a young age. How depressed Mom and Dad will get. All of us simply fading out of existence."

"Sadness," Joy pleaded, looking away from Sadness, now clearly on the verge of tears, "Please. I..."

"Please look at me Joy," Sadness pleaded, grabbing Joy's face and turning it so they were looking each other in the eyes.

Finally, Joy could take it no more. She collapsed on her knees, tears streaming down her face. Sadness, while hurt seeing Joy like this, still knew that she needed it. So, she hugged Joy and let her cry into her shoulder. They stated like that for what felt like an eternity, but was really no more than 5 minutes.

"Feeling better now," Sadness asked.

"Yeah," Joy answered, "Yeah, I am. Thank you."

"You're welcome Joy," Sadness whispered, "You're always welcome."

Joy released Sadness and got into an upright position, but stayed on her knees so she could remain on Sadness' level.

"I love you Sadness," Joy lovingly stated.

"I love you too Joy," Sadness lovingly stated.

The two of them then shared a kiss. A kiss that had been shared between the two of them many times before.

Meanwhile, back in the control room.

"Yes," Disgust yelled, "Sadness seemed oddly interested in the Ellen Show while we were waiting in the Hospital waiting room, but it was all she could focus on in that disgusting place."

"I'm getting tired of all of this bickering," Anger yelled, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." Anger then started walking towards the break room.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa," Fear and Disgust exclaimed, jumping in front of anger.

"You can't just someone about their deal," Disgust teaches.

"She's right," Fear agreed, "You have to be subtle about it.

"OK," Anger responded, "Pray tell, how exactly do you ask someone about 'their deal'."

"Hey guys," Joy greeted as her and Sadness waltzed out of the break room.

"Like this," Fear whispered, "Hey Sadness."

"Yes Fear," Sadness responded.

"What's your opinion on having Riley watch Orange Is The New Black when she gets older," Fear asked.

"Why are you asking that now," Sadness asked.

"Um," Fear stammered, "Well, we need something to talk about until Riley wakes up."

"Oh," Sadness responded, "I suppose it would depend on how the show is viewed when Riley is grown up."

"Alright," Fear responded, "Good call Sadness."

"Real smooth," Anger whispered.

"Good job keeping entertained guys," Joy cheered, "See? Riley is going to be fine. And, one day, we'll all look back on this day as a crazy memory."

"I guess Joy has a point," Disgust pointed out, "After all, things couldn't possibly get any worse in the long run."

"Really," Fear gasped, "I can think of so many other things that could make this worse. Off the top of my head, abduction by robots seems to be a very real fright."

"First of all," Disgust moaned, "We told you to stay in your room while Riley watched Iron Man with Dad. Second, in all reality, what could really make this situation any worse?"

Oh, how Disgust would regret that remark. The regret first piled on when black clouds and lightning started coming from the recall tube literally right after Disgust finished her sentence.

"Told you so," Fear quivered.

"OK," Joy stammered, "This is probably not a big deal. Maybe the recall tube needs to be cleaned. Maybe Riley is remembering something. Maybe she's waking up."

But, Joy was to be proven wrong when a suspicious and Hispanic voice was heard coming from the recall tube. It got louder and more shrill, until something came through the recall tube and landed in Headquarters.

It appeared to be a pirate. He had an orange beard, a captain's hat, a large black coat, pirate boots, a sword, a pistol, and he vaguely resembled Antonio Bandaras. And, he was regaining consciousness. Needless to say, the emotions had no idea what to do.

"Joy," Fear stammered.

"Yes Fear," Joy stammered.

"What is that," Fear stammered.

"I have no idea," Joy stammered. The mysterious pirate then staggered into his feet.

"Oh my," the pirate whispered, "Nice place. Could be exactly what I've been looking for."

"Joy," Fear stammered.

"Yes Fear," Joy stammered.

"It speaks English," Fear stammered.

"I know that Fear," Joy stammered, "I didn't go deaf."

"Well," the pirate greeted, "You must be this girl's emotions. My name is Burger Beard, pirate captain. I'm here to help this girl through her head trauma."

"One of us should say something," Sadness whispered, "He probably thinks we're weird and socially awkward now."

"Um," Joy greeted, "Hi there. I'm Joy. This is Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger."

"Hello," Sadness greeted.

"Why is he dressed like he's late for a costume party," Disgust lamented, "And why does he smell like chlorine and brimstone?"

"Do you think he's going to hurt us," Fear cowered, "Do you think he's going to hurt Riley?"

"If he does," Anger threatened, "I'll put that hat where the sun don't shine."

"Well that's everybody," Joy announced, "We're kind of working on first impressions."

"No," Burger Beard explained, "It's alright. I understand. I think we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe it would help if I explained why I'm here."

"Fine," Disgust sighed, "Why are you here?"

"Well," Burger Beard explained, "Whenever what happened to your Riley happens to someone, I show up to help them through it. I may be Burger Beard, but I'm also what's known as..."

"Riley," the blurred voice of Riley's Dad said.

"Dad," Joy asked.

"Did Riley..." Fear started asking, before him and the other emotions rushed to the control panel. They could see that the monitor and the lights in Riley's mind were starting to turn back on.

"Come on," Joy whispered, "Come on. Come on."

"Honey," Riley's Dad exclaimed, "I think she's waking up."

"Riley," Riley's Mom coaxed, "It's me, Mom. Please wake up."

And, with that, the monitor turned back on and headquarters sprung back to life. Riley had awoken.

"Hi Mom," Riley sleepily greeted, "Hi Dad."

"Oh Riley," Riley's Mom breathed as she and her father gave Riley a soft, but firm hug, "Thank heavens you're alright."

"We were so worried about you," Riley's Dad breathed.

"She woke up," Joy cheered.

"Yayyyyy," the emotions cheered.

"You'd better make sure Mom and Dad know we're OK," Disgust pointed out. Joy pushed a few buttons on the console.

"I feel fine," Riley whispered, "I'm fine."

"Really," Burger Beard whined, "You're just going to ignore me now? You were curious and critical, now you're ready to turn me away?"

As Burger Beard continued to complain, Riley began to notice a few things. She was in a hospital bed. She was wearing a gown. She was hooked up to an IV machine. Although, since the last thing Riley remembers was ramming her head into a wall, this was understandable. But, a doctor then entered the room, interrupting Riley's thoughts.

"Oh good," the doctor noted, "Our patient has awoken." The doctor's entrance caused Riley's parents to let go of Riley and put their attention onto him.

"How is she ," Riley's Dad asked.

"I'm sorry to say," apologized, "That your daughter will never be the same again."

"What," Riley's Dad gasped.

"Yes," explained, "I'm afraid that the fall from the roof of the bus has left permanent physical and psychological damage."

"Wait," Riley's Dad objected, "Our daughter hit her head and was knocked out."

"Are you not Mr and Mr Powell," asked.

"No," Riley's Mom interjected, "We're Mr and Mrs Andersen."

"Well," pondered, "That would explain why the x ray I am holding is of a brain, not a snapped leg, and why one of you is a woman. Riley Andersen is going to be fine."

"That's wonderful," Riley's Mom quietly cheered.

"That Powell girl though," lamented, "She's got a hard life ahead of her."

"That's sad to hear," Riley's Dad confusingly lamented.

"Would either of you be willing to tell Mr and Mr Powell about their daughter," asked.

"No," Riley's Dad frustratingly interjected, "Can we please focus on Riley?"

"Alright," agreed, showing Riley's parents the x ray, "As you can see, there appears to be something growing inside Riley's brain. It doesn't appear fatal, but we would still like to keep her under observation here for a few days, just to be on the safe side."

"Of course," Riley's Mom agreed, "Now, is there anything we can do?"

"Look," moaned, "Times like these can be hard on a parent. What you need is a nice muscle relaxer." then pulled out a large needle and injected it.

"You just injected that into your own arm," Riley's Dad questioned.

"I know," grinned as he fell to the floor.

"Hold on a second," Anger growled, "If there's nothing wrong with us, why do we have to stay in this crummy old hospital?"

"I know," Disgust moaned, "All of these sick people coughing and wheezing, disgusting."

"If those diseases don't get Riley," Fear worried, "Some other kind of disease will get invented and kill her."

"Guys guys guys," Joy coaxed, "The important thing here is that Riley is fine and we'll be out of hospital in a few days. It's like Fear says. We didn't die, so that's a success."

"I have been standing here for at least 2 minutes," Burger Beard snapped, "Have we just forgotten that I exist?"

"Welcome to my world," Sadness whispered, "Or at least how it used to be."

"Fine," Burger Beard griped, "Ignore me. I've got stuff to take care of anyways." Burger Beard then ducked away into the break room. But, before he left, Sadness swore she heard him say, "You won't have to worry for long anyways."


	5. Stealing the Book

_Currently Listening to: "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events" by Thomas Newman._

It was now nighttime, and Riley was ready to go to sleep.

"OK guys," Joy announced, "Before we go, I just wanted to say, considering what happened to Riley today, I think we did a great job pulling through. You all should be proud."

"Great," Anger commented, "Have fun with dream duty tonight."

"As long as it's not too depressing," Joy grinned, "I always do."

"You know," Fear pointed out, "We kinda forgot about that Burger Beard guy. I wonder what happened to him."

"I hope he took off," Disgust repulsed, "We do not need somebody like that running around Riley's mind."

"Well," Joy stated, "I'm sure we'll figure all of this out tomorrow. Now, you guys run off to bed. I've got it from here." And, with that, Fear, Disgust, and Anger retired to their rooms for the evening. Riley had fallen asleep and her mind had shit down for the evening.

Joy started settling down to watch tonight's dream, when she noticed Sadness starting to walk towards her.

"Hey Sadness," Joy greeted, "What are you doing out here still?"

"Things got pretty sad today," Sadness offered, "Would you like me to stay up with you?"

"Sadness," Joy comforted, "I know I was a bit upset earlier, but I promise I'm fine. Now that I know Riley's OK."

"Are you sure," Sadness asked. Joy responded by giving a soft peck on her forehead.

"Go to bed Sadness," Joy whispered, "I've got this."

"Alright," Sadness conceded, beginning to climb up to her bedroom, "But if you start feeling off, come get me, OK?"

"I promise," Joy responded.

"Good night Joy," Sadness quietly announced, proceeding into her bedroom.

"Good night Sadness," Joy whispered.

Joy was flattered that Sadness was so concerned about her, but she was also a bit puzzled. Usually, if Joy broke down, she would always be fine after a few minutes. So, Joy was confused as to why Sadness expected something different to happen this time. But, Joy focused on feeling flattered and began to watch tonight's dream.

Joy managed to stay awake for about five minutes before clonking out. It had been a long day for everybody, so she hoped the others would understand.

The dream Joy was missing was pretty boring anyways. Riley having an adventure through the mystical lands of a hospital waiting room, waiting forever to get an appointment. Dream Productions was clearly running out of ideas.

But, let's focus on Burger Beard for a while. When he ducked into the break room, everyone forgot about him. Giving him a perfect opportunity to slice a hole through the break room window and cross the memory dump to Riley's subconscious.

And once he was in Riley's subconscious, it didn't take long for Burger Beard to find Imagination Land, exactly as he had hoped.

After slicing through some thick french fry branches with his sword, Burger Beard found a clearing hidden away from any passerby's eyes.

Burger Beard saw a tiny sign that said the path ahead was booby trapped, but he ignored it, being a pirate.

Finally, he saw it. He found what he's been looking for. A book resting on a pedestal, guarded by some pretty cool pirate skeletons.

"At last," Burger Beard cackled, "I've gone through almost 70 kids to find you."

Burger Beard remembered the traps that were mentioned, but a simple ballerina dance allowed him to evade the spike traps on the floor and stand right in front of the book.

"What's that you're saying," Burger Beard questioned, "Take the book? Well, don't mind if I do!"

Burger Beard swiped the book from right off it's pedestal and began laughing maniacally. For a long time. Long enough to attract attention from an unforeseen guardian.

"Hey," a mysterious voice gruffly yelled, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just taking this book to get cleaned," Burger Beard cowered, "The skeletons said I could."

"I doubt that," the gruff voice growled. Then, he stepped out of the french fry branches to reveal himself as Riley's imaginary boyfriend. From Canada.

"Ha ha ha ha ha," Burger Beard laughed, "Why don't you just keep walking little punk? Before you hurt or embarrass yourself."

"I would die for Riley," the imaginary boyfriend proclaimed.

"Well," Burger Beard threatened, "Let's see if that's true!" Burger Beard threw his hardest punch at the imaginary boyfriend, but he dodged it with ease.

"Oh," Burger Beard mocked, "That's how you're doing it. Cheating. Well, prepare to face..."

Burger Beard was interrupted by a swift kick to the knee. Burger Beard almost went down, but stayed up.

The imaginary boyfriend tried making a sucker punch, but Burger Beard was the one to dodge this time. The imaginary boyfriend decided to try and throw a square punch, but Burger Beard stopped him with his book.

"Ha ha," Burger Beard mocked, "You suck."

The imaginary boyfriend finally landed a large uppercut on Burger Beard, landing him right back into headquarters.

Burger Beard was a bit worried for a second that he dropped the book back in Imagination Land. But, then he saw that he still had it in his hand.

"Is that the best you got," Burger Beard yelled.

"Sadness," Joy mumbled, "Is that you?" Turns out all of the noise woke up Joy.

"Oh no," Burger Beard fretted, "Not yet!" So, while Joy rubbed her eyes, getting used to seeing things, Burger Beard ducked into the break room, silent as a stone.

"Huh," Joy mumbled, "I wonder what made that noise?"

What made that noise was currently in the break room, evilly cackling, book in hand, crouching on the floor.

"Phase one is completed," Burger Beard laughed, "Now on to phase two."


	6. Trapped in the Closet

_Currently Listening to: Random Simlish Songs From The Sims 3._

It was now morning. All of the emotions were up and about, making headquarters come to life. Considering what happened yesterday, everybody seemed surprisingly ready to get to work. There was only one problem.

"Joy," Fear screamed, "Why is there a circle shaped hole in the break room window?"

"I don't know Fear," Joy yelled back, "I'm sure there's a perfectly happy explanation. Maybe that Burger Beard guy needed a way out of headquarters to fix something in subconscious."

"Really," Fear asked reassuringly, walking back towards the control panel.

"Or maybe something super scary from subconscious wanted to find a way in," Disgust suggested.

"Really," Fear screamed, grabbing onto Anger, "What if they're watching us right now?"

"Let me go Fear," Anger screamed, shoving Fear off of him.

"Do you really have to do that," Joy groaned to Disgust.

"The hole was probably made by that Burger Beard guy," Anger groaned.

"What did I do," a voice asked. The crew turned around to see Burger Beard standing there.

"Oh hey," Joy greeted, "I've been waiting to talk to you. I just wanted to apologize for ignoring you like we did yesterday."

"It hurt my feelings," Burger Beard complained.

"Listen," Joy reassured, "We were just worried about Riley and got excited when she woke up. I promise we won't do that ever..."

" just walked in the room," Disgust yelled.

"Hold that thought," Joy halted as she rushed back to the control panel.

"I wonder what has to say," Joy wondered.

"Probably something bad," Sadness lamented, "Riley probably got sick from something in the hospital."

"Can that happen," Fear panicked, "I bet it was that line jello. I know it looked good Joy, but we can't be too careful about this stuff."

"I still can't believe we put that in Riley's mouth," Disgust lamented, "It was all bouncy and sticky and gross."

"Why should we even listen to this guy," Anger shouted, "He's a quack. I'll bet he graduated from the same school that doctor on that yellow people cartoon graduated from. Show me your license, you bum!"

"Maybe we should listen to what the doctor has to say first," Joy suggested.

"So," greeted, "How are we feeling today Riley?"

"I feel fine," Riley stated.

"Really," questioned, "You don't feel a bit tingly? As if your insides have transformed into the insides of a sixty year old woman and your legs are slowly starting to turn into llama legs?"

"No," Riley nervously stated.

"Oh," stated, "Then it looks like I've got to get a new psychic. First the billion dollar lottery, now this. It's as if Astrology is nothing more than a scam. Anyways, your vitals are normal and blood is pumping at a normal rate. You seem healthy as a horse."

"Like I said," Anger complimented, " . What a guy."

"See guys," Joy encouraged, "I'll bet we're going to be getting out of here in no time."

"So," Riley questioned, "Does this mean I'll get to go home soon?"

"Oh heavens no," exclaimed.

"Quack," Anger yelled, "This guy's a quack. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"We have to stay in this horrendous hospital even longer," Disgust moaned.

"That doctor is trying to get us killed," Fear yelled.

"Guys," Joy clambered, "Maybe we should calm down."

"Yeah," Anger growled, "I'll calm down. After this guy admits that he murdered our real doctor and stole his white coat." Anger then slammed his fist on the controls.

"What," Riley screamed, "Why not?"

"Because there's something going on with your brain," stated, "But we're not sure what it is. It appears to be showing slightly lower than usual activity and reaction time, but just enough as to where you're able to act, think, and function normally."

"Do you have any idea what he just said," Fear asked.

"No clue," Anger responded. Joy decided to seize this opportunity.

"Sadness," Joy stated, "Maybe you should calm Riley down before she chokes out the doctor."

"OK," Sadness responded, as she pressed a few buttons on the control panel.

"Oh," Riley lamented, "Do you think I'll be OK?"

"You know," moaned, "You're not the only person in this hospital with problems. I have a patient who thinks he's a gladiator after he got hit on the head. So, I have problems too." then proceeded to leave the room.

"Well," Fear observed, "We're literally just lying in this bed until Mom and Dad come to visit us in six hours. What should we do now?"

"We could turn on the TV," Joy answered, signaling for Riley to grab the remote.

"We are not watching those stupid cartoons you make us watch," Disgust moaned.

"Or anything scary," Fear cowered, "Don't make us watch Chills Down Your Spine on Nickelodeon."

"Maybe we should watch one of those funny Garry Marshall movies," Sadness suggested, "But not the romantic comedies. The ones about having a bad, sometimes traumatizing, childhood. They always seem to be on PBS."

"If it doesn't have violence," Anger shouted, "Then we shouldn't watch it. I'm not asking for death. Just some scrapes and bruises."

"Here," Joy shouted, "Look. That classic sitcom Riley likes is on about the group of pals."

"Oh yeah," everyone agreed, "Yeah. Yeah."

So, Riley relaxed, watching her favorite sitcom, while her emotions did exactly the same thing.

"Hey guys," Joy asked, "Do you think maybe we should invite Burger Beard to watch with us?"

"No no," Burger Beard yelled, "I'm perfectly content to just stand here, desiring some cold water, since I was burned."

"Aw come on," Joy pitied, "Don't be like that."

"Yeah," Fear offered, "You can sit right next to me and I promise I won't scream."

"No really," Burger Beard stated, "I really do like standing here. Does wonders for my thighs. Plus, I am loving this view outside the window. Why would I give that up for a stupid magic picture box?"

"Alright," Joy agreed, "If you like that, then have fun."

"Weirdo," Anger mumbled.

So, the emotions watched the show for about an hour. Then, they started getting bored.

"You know," Anger noted, "Watching the same show for too long can get really freaking boring!"

"And it's only been an hour," Disgust added on, "That's honestly pathetic."

"You know," Fear pointed out, "If one of us stayed out here, the rest of us could go back to our rooms and rest until somebody shows up on the outside."

"I'll do it," Joy stated.

"No," Disgust argued, "We can't ask you do that. You were up all last night doing dream duty."

"You can't ask her to do that," Anger mumbled.

"Guys," Joy defended, "It's fine. I'm not even that tired anyways."

"What if I stayed out here with her," Sadness suggested, "Keep her company."

"I don't know," Fear worried, "Joy could collapse from lack of sleep, die, and then we would have to try to be Joy again, and we can't do that."

"Guys," Joy assured, "I promise you I'll be fine."

"Well," Fear gave in, walking to his room, "I tried. See you in a few hours."

"See you," Anger and Disgust added on, following Fear up the stairs to their rooms.

"Real subtle," Joy kidded, "You couldn't be more obvious if you had a shirt on that said, 'I Needz Cuddles'."

"Does that mean you won't," Sadness asked.

"I never said that," Joy teased, "After all, you are my fluffy little pillow."

So, Joy and Sadness settled down on the couch, Sadness leaning on the back of the couch and Joy leaning against Sadness, Sadness putting an arm around Joy. It was a bit clique, but they really did feel like it was just the two of them when they were like this. Especially considering it wasn't just the two of them.

"Have the two of you ever considered telling your friends," Burger Beard asked, having moved closer to the couch. This unexpected voice caused Joy and Sadness to jump out of their own little world and back to reality.

"Burger Beard," Joy shouted, "We forgot to do that. You scared us half to death."

"I tend to do that a lot," Burger Beard responded, "But you never answered my question. Why have you not come out to the others?"

"What would we have to come out about," Sadness asked, "They'd just take it the wrong way."

"I don't know Sadness," Joy stated, "This secret romance has been going on for half a year. It's starting to become a taxing. And I hate that I can't spend the evening with you because the others can't find out about us. I think it's time we told them."

"No Joy," Sadness yelled in her quiet voice, "We can't tell them. They'd just take it the wrong way."

"Sadness," Joy pondered, "Is there another reason you don't want to tell the others?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Sadness quickly stated, refusing to look Joy in the eye.

"Sadness," Joy pleaded, attempting to make Sadness look at her, "Please."

"Joy," Sadness fought, "Stop it. Just let it go."

"Sadness," Joy sternly stated, forcing Sadness to look her in the eye, "You're always telling me that, if there's anything I need to talk to you about, or if I need a shoulder to cry on, you wanted me to come to you. And, now, I feel completely safe around you and I feel that there's nothing I can't tell you. Well, I need you to know that there isn't anything you can't tell me. So, please, Sadness, don't shut me out. Tell me what's really bothering you."

"What if they reject our love," Sadness asked.

"What do you mean," Joy asked.

"What if they find out that we're in love and they can't understand it," Sadness asked, on the verge of tears, "They can't accept the fact that two female emotions can fall in love?"

"They're our friends," Joy comforted, "We've known them for years. I'm sure that..."

"But what if they're the type of friends who can't accept every little weird thing about you," Sadness cried, "Once they find out, they might ostracize us and treat us like..."

"Like I used to treat you," Joy thought to herself. Joy would've said it out loud, but Sadness was full on crying at this point, and needed Joy's shoulder to cry on. Joy immediately let Sadness use her shoulder.

"If they do anything like that," Joy comforted, "Which they won't, I will still always stand by you."

"But what if they throw us out of headquarters," Sadness tearfully asked, "We'll be stuck in long term memory and you won't be able to make Riley happy ever again."

"I know I love Riley," Joy comforted, "We all love Riley. So, I know the others wouldn't do something like that. But, if that were to happen, just remember that I will always stay with you."

"No matter what," Sadness asked.

"No matter what," Joy answered. Joy let Sadness cry into her shoulder for a few more minutes, until Sadness stopped crying and got up, looking Joy right in the eye.

"Let's tell them," Sadness stated.

"Really," Joy asked.

"I was nervous at first," Sadness stammered, "But, if you're going to be by my side, I think I may be able to do it."

"I love you," Joy whispered.

"I love you too," Sadness whispered. The two of them started to sit up.

"We should probably thank Burger Beard for..." Joy started to say, until she realized Burger Beard had vanished.

"Where did he go," Sadness asked.

"I have no idea," Joy answered, "He's kinda weird, now that I think about it."

"Well," Sadness mumbled, "Do you think we should call them out now or wait until they get up?"

"If you really think you're ready now," Joy answered, "Then I think we should tell them as soon as possible."

"Call them out," Sadness softly declared.

"Fear," Joy called out, "Disgust, Anger, can you come out here please?"

Joy would've been lying if she hadn't admitted to herself that she wasn't a bit nervous, but she wouldn't show it to Sadness. She didn't need to know this time. Instead, Joy simply squeezed back when Sadness grabbed her hand.

"This is it," Sadness thought to herself, "No turning back." The others then came out of their bedrooms.

"Joy," Anger growled, "There had better be a good reason you woke us up and called us out here."

"Yeah," Disgust added on, "I need my beauty sleep or I'll turn into an ugly."

"This actually is pretty important," Joy responded.

"What's wrong Joy," Fear asked, "Just tell us."

"Well," Sadness slowly stammered, "You guys don't know this, but me and Joy are lesbians."

"And," Joy stammered almost as slowly, "We've been going out for about half a year."

The others were completely shocked, mouths hanging wide open. Sadness was waiting for the blowup, and Joy was kind of expecting it too.

"Wow," Fear murmured, "I had no idea."

"Me neither," Anger murmured, "I didn't even know emotions could fall in love."

"They really kept it hidden well," Disgust added on, "Although, I have no idea why they kept it hidden this long."

"What do you mean," Joy asked.

"Why didn't you tell us when this first started," Disgust complained, "This would've been a great thing to gossip to Joy about. Would've finally given us a reason to talk."

"Maybe they were scared of what others would think of them," Fear responded.

"Wait," Disgust thought, "Did you two think we would be upset about this?"

"Pretty much," Sadness mumbled.

"Look," Anger reasoned, "I may get angry about a lot of things, but I don't get angry about how lives are led, especially when it's something as harmless as this."

"And I judge a lot of people," Disgust added on, "But I couldn't judge you two for something like who you're dating, especially when it's perfectly normal."

"You guys are really OK with us," Sadness asked.

"Yeah," Fear stated.

"Of course," Disgust stated.

"Whatever," Anger stated.

All Joy could do is smile at the fact that what Sadness was so nervous about turned out alright in the end. Even Sadness grinned at how her friends were so accepting of her life choices.

"That's it everybody," Joy shouted, "Group hug!" Joy pulled Sadness, Fear, and Disgust into a hug. Anger tried walking away, but to no avail.

"You too Anger," Joy shouted, pulling Anger in and giving him a noogie.

"All right," Anger griped, "You let a huge load off your chest. That doesn't mean you can touch me."

Meanwhile, Burger Beard was watching everything unveil from the break room.

"My plan is working perfectly," Burger Beard schemed, "Now to work on the Nerve and the Broccoli."


	7. Burger Beard Works Over Disgust

As Fear sat in the break room, all he could think about was how much insanity had taken place over the last few days: Riley being knocked out and now in the hospital, this Burger Beard figure appearing out of nowhere, and now Joy and Sadness apparently being in love. Fear was just wondering if anything else crazy could happen.

But, this last thought of Joy and Sadness made Fear remember his own relationship with Disgust, and how it fell apart.

Fear knew that his fling with Disgust wasn't meant to be anything more, but he now needed it to be something more. The only question was, would Disgust ever want something more?

"Hey," Disgust coldly greeted, walking into the break room.

"Hey," Fear stammered, "Crazy couple of days, huh?"

"Yeah," Disgust responded, "All I really have to worry about, though, is making sure Riley doesn't die of fashion suicide with her dumb hospital gown."

Despite Fear's better judgement, he still found himself chuckling at this.

"Oh my gosh," Disgust moaned, "What is with that half assed laugh? It sounds like your running nails through a washing machine!"

This time, Fear listened to his better judgement and stayed silent.

"Well," Fear stated, grabbing his coffee mug and leaving the break room, "I've got the coffee I needed. Guess I can go back to the control room now."

"Thanks for the audio commentary," Disgust groaned. And, with that, Fear was gone.

"You two used to be a thing, didn't you," Burger Beard asked, emerging from the shadows. This seemed to actually scare Disgust.

"You scared me half to death," Disgust complained.

"A lot of people tell me that," Burger Beard whispered.

"What," Disgust questioned.

"I mean," Burger Beard stammered, "I bet you two were involved, but it ended badly.

"You could say that," Disgust expositioned, "We were just sort of having fun, casually sleeping together. But, he had enough of it and wanted something serious."

"And you didn't," Burger Beard asked.

"I thought I could live without the nerd," Disgust thought out loud, "But it's becoming clear that I can't."

Burger Beard decided to offer comfort by extending his arms.

"Please don't hug me," Disgust griped, "You smell like a sweaty dancer."

"I see," Burger Beard grumbled, "Have you considered telling this fried nerve how you feel?"

"That would be a great idea," Disgust pointed out, "If I weren't still unprepared for a serious relationship. Keep up, genius."

"Have you considered," Burger Beard questioned, "That, if you really want him back, you'd be willing to have a serious relationship with him?"

"Well," Disgust thought, "Huh. I guess I've never thought of it that way before."

"Go to him," Burger Beard advised, "Tonight. Tell him what you are feeling."

"Alright," Disgust announced, "I'll do it. I'll tell the gross nerd how I feel."

"That the spirit," Burger Beard cheered.

As Disgust left the break room, she decided to throw Burger Beard a bone and quickly punched him in the shoulder.

"Thanks," Disgust got out as she left.

"The emotions are now thoroughly distracted," Burger Beard monologued, "Now it's time to put that book to some bad use. I wish someone were around to hear that last part."


	8. Disgust Works Over Fear

"Riley Anderson," Dr Whitby stated, "You are going to die."

"What," Riley cowered.

"When you hear about who I'm going out with," Dr Whitby added on.

"Oh," Riley grumbled.

"The nurse at the front desk," Dr Whitby stated, "She is difficult. Now, let's get to your test results. Riley Anderson, you are going to die."

"What," Riley cowered.

"Is what I would be saying if this thing inside of your brain was harmful," Dr Whitby added on, "But, it's not."

"Stop using words to mislead us," Anger yelled, "Don't make me use one of our curse words."

"Does this mean I can go now," Riley asked.

"Oh heavens no," Dr Whitby blurted out.

"That's it," Anger shouted, "I'm breaking out the curse words."

"No," all of the emotions shouted, jumping on Anger and keeping him from touching the control panel.

"Why not," Riley asked.

"We still haven't been able to identify what that thing in your brain is," Dr Whitby explained, "We may know it's not harmful, but we're not sure if it's affecting you in some way. So, we want to find out what it is before we let you go."

"Hurry up and find what it is before we drop dead," Fear yelled.

"Well," Riley stated, "I hope you find it soon, so I can leave."

"Eager to leave the hospital are we," Dr Whitby asked, "That's ironic, because most women who stay here never wanna leave. Ha ha. It's funny because husbands are terrible. I should know, since I've slept with seventy five nurses since I got married last year."

"Is this something else you want me to keep secret under the confidentiality agreement," Riley asked.

"Of course," Dr Whitby exclaimed.

"You know," Riley mumbled, "I'm pretty sure that's only supposed to go one way."

"People are also supposed to go only one way," Dr Whitby replied as he left, "But look how well that turned out."

"Great," Anger mumbled, "Another day trapped in this nuclear waste dump."

"In the same dirty gown as yesterday," Disgust moaned, "Who runs this place?"

"At least we're all agreeing on this," Joy stated.

"So we should break out of here," Fear asked.

"I can get us out of here with a brick, a pillow, a sandglass, a lemon, a trash bag, a roll of gauze, and a jar of jam," Anger plotted.

"Nobody's breaking out of anywhere," Joy ordered, "We'll be fine here one more night."

"Unless we aren't," Sadness interjected.

"But we will be," Joy argued.

"But what if we aren't," Sadness continued, "Then, Riley will be..."

Joy managed to make Sadness stop mid sentence by slyly and discretely grabbing her hand.

"I'm sure Riley will be fine," Sadness commented.

"See," Joy exclaimed, "There you go. Think positive."

"Thank you," Disgust mouthed.

So, since none of the emotions would be needed for a while, they all went off to do their own thing.

So, Disgust started forming an idea as she walked up to Fear.

"Hey Fear," Disgust asked, "Can I talk to you for a second."

"I don't know if I want to do that," Fear grumbled.

"Please," Disgust asked, "It's important. Like, life or death."

"Fine," Fear gave in, "You know I always care about life and death."

Disgust then lead Fear into the break room.

"So what's the problem," Fear asked.

"There is no problem," Disgust confessed.

"You have got to be kidding...," Fear yelled.

"Fear," Disgust interrupted, "I want to give us another try."

"I thought I made myself clear," Fear yelled, "I'm not interested in one night stands with you anymore. I want to be serious."

"So do I," Disgust argued.

"I'm sure you do," Fear countered.

"No," Disgust countered, "I really, really do."

"How could I possibly believe you," Fear asked.

"Because I've been miserable without you," Disgust begged, "Because I'd give anything to give us a real shot."

"Maybe I don't want to give us a real shot," Fear stated.

"Fine," Disgust moaned, "But can I just say one more thing?"

"What," Fear asked.

Disgust then kissed Fear on the lips. It didn't take long for Fear to kiss her back.

"Alright," Fear stated, "Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if we gave us another shot."

"I was hoping you would say that," Disgust gushed, "Now, come on, let's go tell the others."

As Fear and Disgust went back into the main area, they had no idea that Burger Beard was hiding, watching them while maniacally rubbing his hands together.

"Now comes the part I've really been looking forward to," Burger Beard cackled, "The torture."


	9. Burger Beard Spins a Yarn

"And now we're trying to be a couple," Disgust finished.

"That's amazing," Joy cheered, "I knew things would work out for you two."

"I didn't," Anger grumbled.

It was morning. Riley was just resting, so the emotions had some time to kill.

"We kinda owe what we have now to Burger Beard," Fear admitted, "He was the one who got Disgust to talk to me again."

"I'm actually kinda surprised none of us noticed you two ever had a thing going on," Sadness thought out loud.

"You and Joy had a thing going on for who knows how long," Disgust argued, "And nobody ever noticed that."

"Yeah, but you guys probably didn't look too hard for odd behaviour," Joy stated, "I, however, am pretty good at noticing things."

"Hello," Burger Beard greeted.

"Aaayyyggguuuhhhhyyyaaahhhh," Joy screamed.

Turns out Burger Beard had been standing behind her for the past minute.

"Glad to see I've been neglected," Burger Beard moaned, "Again."

"Actually," Joy countered, "We owe you a thank you."

"Say what," Burger Beard questioned.

"If it weren't for you," Sadness explained, "Me and Joy wouldn't have told everyone about us."

"And I wouldn't have even considered giving Disgust a second chance," Fear added on.

"Well," Burger Beard blushed, "I'm glad I could make you all feel so distracted."

"What," Fear questioned.

"So," Burger Beard jumped, "Riley's still stuck in here, huh?"

"Yeah," Anger growled, "And it's really starting to grind my gears. How much longer are we going to be stuck in this bed?"

"Well," Burger Beard added on, "You all must be pretty bored. What do you do to entertain yourselves when Riley's like this?"

"Blast my music," Joy cheered.

"Mope in my room," Sadness groaned.

"Find something nobody would miss and punch it," Anger growled, eyeing Fear.

"Well," Burger Beard stammered, "That all sounds well and good, but I actually have a few stories I've picked up over the years. How's about we pass the time by listening to those?"

"Yeah," Joy cheered, "Come on, guys."

All of the emotions then proceed to sit around Burger Beard as he sits on the couch and starts reading from a mysterious book.

"Alright," Burger Beard stated, "Let's jump right into this."

"This is gonna be good," Joy whispered, "I can tell."

"The story has been titled, by me, 'The Girl Gets Dull'," Burger Beard announced, "It all started with a young girl, about twelve years old..."

* * *

Her name was, err, let's call her Kaitlyn.

Now, Kaitlyn was quite a happy girl. Very happy. Really happy. Maybe even a bit too happy. Like, "squeeze her stuffed animals so tight, the heads would pop off" happy.

Because she actually did that one time. Her teddy bear got decapitated. Maybe therapy should have been considered at some point.

Anyways, Kaitlyn always felt fit as a fiddle, which actually means trick. Little fun fact.

And they say that kids who always felt well were destined to remain in perfect health for the rest of their lives.

But, they were proven to be wrong. For, one dreary afternoon, Kaitlyn was a bit too eager going down the stairs. She ended up tripping and hitting her head very hard on the handrail.

She was out cold.

Everyone around Kaitlyn was doing what they could to help her. Her parents were rushing her to the hospital and her emotions were trying to wake her up the best way they knew how: pressing every button and going as extreme as possible.

It, unfortunately, didn't work.

Meanwhile, while Kaitlyn's emotions were scrambling, trying to figure out what was going on, they didn't notice a mysterious, evil figure outside of her trying to get in.

Now, most human vessels are equipped with multiple different lines of defense to protect the human from intruders: antibodies, mucous membranes, white blood cells, etc.

But, what the body is unprepared for is when somebody tries to invade the brain.

One particular disease had been sitting on the family's coffee table, seeing if anybody would ever get low enough for him to invade their head.

And, it looks like Kaitlyn had satisfied his requirements.

So, he grabbed a paraglider he had fashioned out of old scraps of paper and a handkerchief. With it, he was able to leap from the coffee table and slowly soar towards Kaitlyn. He was closing in, a malicious grin forming on his face.

Then, a fan blew him into a nearby smaller table.

He smacked against the table with a kerthunk and slid to the ground.

After picking some small splinters from the legs of his pants, he put his focus back on Kaitlyn. By now, her parents had realized she was unconscious and were fussing over her. Our disease knew he had a short amount of time before Kaitlyn was moved to a hospital. He had to take action.

He tried running as fast as his legs could carry him. But, Kaitlyn was being picked up. There was only one option left.

Our disease ran as fast as he could, jump as high as he could, and tried to grab a hair from Kaitlyn's head.

He grabbed a small handful and held on for dear life as he was carried away with Kaitlyn.

After Kaitlyn was secured in her parents' car, our antagonist decided that now was the time for him to strike. After a few powerful swings on the strand of hair, the figure leapt into Kaitlyn's ear canal. An unconventional method of entry, and a rather tight pinch, but it would have to do.

He got stuck only once, for a minute or two. Until he stuck his head out and saw that he was at the highest point of the brain. From where he was, he could see everything. Including the control center. He crawled on some glass tubes and, once he reached the control center, snuck in, never not looking menacing.

But, before he could expose himself to the unsuspecting emotions, they heard a loud voice yelling out, "Clear!"

That's when Kaitlyn's eyes opened.

She was now awake. But someone was in her head with her.


End file.
